Dear Readers, here’s book three in Susan
May Warren ’s Montana Fire Series. I’m very exited about reading
it. I know you are, too.
Welcome back, Susan. Why do you write the
kind of books you do?
I
write the kind of books I like to read!
I love epic romantic adventure and I try and write the kinds of stories
that I and my target reader (who is similar to me!) would like to read. I also
need encouragement in my walk with Christ, as well as an inspiring faith story,
so that is the kind of spiritual thread I put in my novels.
Besides when you came to know the Lord, what
is the happiest day in your life?
When
I married my handsome husband. I still can’t believe that God gifted me with
this amazing man.
Me, too. I love how He creates someone who
is just right for us. How has being published changed your life?
It’s
made me more aware of my need to be a good steward of my gifts—that biblical
phrase, to whom much has been give—I know I’ve been given much, and I’m not
only grateful, I’m humbled and aware of the calling to write life-changing
fiction.
What are you reading right now?
I
am just finishing writing a novel, so my first book on my TBR is James L.
Rubart’s The Long Journey to Jake Palmer.
I’m eager to read that one, too. What is
your current work in progress?
I
am just finishing up A Matter of Trust, book #3 in my
Montana Rescue series, about a man who has to rescue the woman who betrayed
him. An epic story set in Glacier National Park in the winter!
What would be your dream vacation?
How do you choose your settings for each
book?
I
find a setting that I want to visit (or my readers want to visit) that I can
use to create more tension for my story, as well as a place that people will
enjoy spending time in or learning more about.
If you could spend an evening with one
person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Besides
my husband, kids and bestie, Rachel Hauck?
I think, maybe I’d like to hang out with Michael Buble and let him sing
to me. J
What are your hobbies, besides writing and
reading?
I
like home repair (really!), yard work (seriously!) and outdoor activities
(skiing, scuba diving, kayaking…things that involve different forms of water,
apparently. J)
What is your most difficult writing
obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
I’ve
written over 50 novels now, so finding that unique twist or storyline can be a
challenge. Oh, and names. I tend to like to use them over and over again!!
What advice would you give to a beginning
author?
Getting
published is not magic…it’s hard work. Do the hard work and you’ll see success.
But also—remember that your journey is different from anyone else’s—trust the
Lord as he guides you through the journey to do what is best for you. Don’t take your eyes off Him.
Tell us about the featured book.
Burnin’
For You is book #3 in my Montana Fire trilogy! It brings to a
conclusion the question of the arsonist in book one. I loved this story about
pilot Gilly Priest and sawyer Reuben Marshall who they race to save their
friends after a terrible place crash.
Please give us the first page of the book.
At
least that’s what Reuben Marshall’s gut said when the wind shifted and rustled
the seared hairs on the back of his neck, strained and tight from three days of
cutting line through a stand of black spruce as thick as night.
After
a week the fire in the Kootenai
National Forest had
consumed nearly twelve hundred acres. And as of breakfast this morning, his
team of smokejumpers, as well as hotshot and wildland firefighter teams from
all over Montana and Idaho , had only nicked it down to sixty
percent contained.
Now
the fire turned from a low crackle to a growl behind him, hungry for the forest
on the other side of the twenty-foot line that his crew—Pete, CJ, and
Hannah—had scratched out of the forest, widening an already cleared service
road. CJ and Hannah were swamping for Reuben as he mowed down trees, clearing
brush. Between the two of them, they worked like an entire crew, still
determined to prove themselves. Pete worked cleanup, digging the line down to
the mineral soil.
Reuben’s
eyes watered, his throat charred from eating fire as he angled his saw into the
towering spruce—one more tree felled and it would keep the fire from jumping
the line or candling from treetop to treetop.
Chips
hit his safety glasses, pinged against his yellow Nomex shirt, his canvas
pants. His shoulders burned, his arms one constant vibration.
In
another hour they would hook up with the other half of their crew—Jed and
Conner, Ned, Riley, and Tucker—dragging a line along the lip of forest road
that served as their burnout line. Then, the team would light a fire of their
own to consume all the fuel between the line and the active fire and drive the
blaze to Fountain
Lake .
The
dragon would lie down and die.
At
least that seemed the ambitious but attainable plan that his crew boss, Jed,
had outlined this morning over a breakfast of MRE eggs and protein bars. While
listening, Reuben had poured three instant coffee packs into one cup of water
and tossed the sludge down in one gulp.
Deep
in his gut, Reuben had expected trouble when the wind quietly kicked up early
this morning, rousing the team tucked in their coyote camp—a pocket of
preburned space, their safety zone on the bottom of the canyon near a trickle
of river. Already blackened, the zone shouldn’t re-ignite, but it left ashy
debris on Reuben, the soot probably turning his dark-brown hair to gray under
his orange hard hat. His entire team resembled extras on the Walking Dead.
He
felt like it too—a zombie, barely alive, fatigue a lining under his skin. Ash,
sawdust, and the fibers of the forest coated his lips despite his efforts to
keep his handkerchief over his mouth.
They’d
worked in the furnace all day, the flame lengths twenty to thirty feet behind
them, climbing up aspen and white pine, settling down into the crackling loam
of the forest, consuming bushes in a flare of heat. But with the bombers overhead
dropping slurry, the fire sizzled and roared, dying slowly.
He’d
watched them—the Russian biplane AN2, which scooped water from the lake, and
the Airtractor AT, dropping red slurry from its white belly. And, way overhead
the C-130 circled for another pass, a loaner from the National Guard.
Reuben
wondered which one Gilly piloted—a random thought that he shoved away. But not
before imagining her, dark auburn hair tied back and cascading out of her
baseball cap, aviator glasses over her freckled nose. Petite at just over five
feet, the woman had don’t quit all
over her when she climbed into a cockpit.
But
it did him no good to let his thoughts anchor upon a woman he could barely
manage to speak to. Not that he had any chance with her, anyway.
Keep
his head down, keep working—wasn’t that what his father had always said?
They
all had expected the Fountain
Lake fire to fizzle out
with their efforts.
Until
the wind shifted. Again.
And
that’s when the fine hairs of Reuben’s neck stood on end, his gut began to
roil.
A dynamite intro to the story!! How can
readers find you on the Internet?
Yes,
head over to www.susanmaywarren.com!!
Or,
on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SusanMayWarrenFiction/
Thank
you, Lena !
My pleasure and great blessing, Susan. I love introducing you to new readers. I often get new readers on the blog.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Burnin' For You: inspirational romantic suspense (Montana Fire Book 3) - KindleComments starter question:
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10 comments:
Great first page! I love Susan's books. THis series is on my wish list.
Beth in Montana
I am looking forward to this book. Thanks for sharing this review and first page.
Connie from KY
cps1950 (at)gmail (dot)com
An exciting beginning.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Always excited for the next SMW book. This one is no exception.
Terrill - WA
Thanks for the wonderful interview! I love Susan May Warren books, and this one sounds so intriguing! I'd love to win a copy.
Winnie T from Utah
Sounds like a great book. I love Susan May Warren books.
Blessings from Indiana,
Cindy W.
Sounds like a good read. North Platte Nebraska.
I've heard wonderful things about this series by Susan and I am very interested in reading all of them :-) Thank you for the fun interview and giveaway chance!
Trixi in OR
I didn't know about this series. I'm going to look for the first two and hope I can be a winner of this one!!! Thanks.
Beth from IA
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